Nock Mountains

Weak old snowpack with low snow cover

Weak old snowpack with low snow cover

The avalanche risk is moderate above 1900 metres and low below. In skiable terrain next to blown-off areas, small to medium-sized slab avalanches can still be triggered in a few places by low additional loads. Avalanche prone locations increase rapidly from the tree line upwards, at higher altitudes increasingly also in eastern aspects. Whumpfing collapsing sounds when stepping on the snowpack can indicate danger. Terrain traps are less full due to a lack of snow and are therefore more effective.

The snow surface is very different locally. There are areas with little snow next to snowdrift accumulations. In places, these are built up and soft, in places hard as a board. In addition, a melt-freeze crust usually forms overnight, but outgoing longwave radiation is reduced. Traces of new fallen snow lie on top. Where an old snowpack is present, there are faceted crystals on and under the crust at the transition to it, which can serve as a reactive weak layer. Fractures in the persistent weak layer usually occur here. Deeper in the old snowpack there is a sequence of faceted crystals, crusts and a lot of deep rime. The total snow depth is well below average.

The night will start out clear, but in the second half of the night, denser cloud fields will move in from the south. A few snowflakes may fall along the Tauern mountains. On Saturday, extensive high cloud fields will cover the sky and the sun will only rarely appear. In the Nockberge mountains, there will also be low clouds with limited visibility, here it may snow lightly at times, but no more than 5 cm should accumulate. The wind is usually light. At 2000 metres the temperature will be -5 to -2 degrees, at 3000 metres around -8 degrees.

The avalanche danger increases with some fresh wind slab within the danger level.